


A Human Shield

by mag_lex



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, thasmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 22:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18822313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mag_lex/pseuds/mag_lex
Summary: The Doctor has a habit of putting herself in harm's way, especially when it comes to Yaz.AkaFour times the Doctor protects Yaz and one time Yaz gets to return the favour.





	A Human Shield

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ghost_tits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghost_tits/gifts).



> This was prompted by the lovely ghost_tits, I hope you enjoy! Also I wrote this on several long, jetlagged bus journeys so if you spot typos, please do let me know.
> 
> Feel free to prompt me with anything you want to read, here or on Tumblr (@maglex) 🙂 or twitter! (@mag_lex)

I  
  
"Right, fam! This is going to get messy so if I were you, I'd leave your valuables here," the Doctor announced, looking directly at Ryan.   
  
"But I was going to take some pictures," he complained.   
  
"Honestly, the last time I came here I lost pretty much everything in my pockets. And you know how much I hate empty pockets." The Doctor put her hands on her hips, her tone brooking no arguments. Yaz had learned that this was the Doctor's no-nonsense tone, not that she'd ever been on the receiving end of it. She always did what the Doctor asked, without question.   
  
Ryan hastily put his phone down on the console, not willing to risk it. Graham laughed at the speed with which he reacted.   
  
"Well, without further ado - shall we?" The Doctor turned to look at Yaz, who was just as eager to get going. They'd landed on a farming planet just in time for their annual festival, which Yaz was intrigued to check out.   
  
What the Doctor had failed to mention was that this particular festival was like the intergalactic equivalent of La Tomatina. As soon as they stepped out of the TARDIS doors, it became apparent that any fruits or vegetables were fair game. Graham ducked just in time to avoid a rather ripe looking orange hitting him square in the face, and Ryan jumped back, tutting as the fruit hit the ground and splattered pulp all over his trainers.   
  
"You forgot to mention this bit!" he shouted over the cheering and yelling of the crowd.   
  
"Really? Must have been a bit distracted. Sorry, fam!"  
  
The Doctor was cut off by a flying cucumber, which she smoothly sidestepped to avoid. Yaz was impressed by the graceful movement.  
  
The crowd surged around them, sweeping them away from the TARDIS and into the celebrations. Yaz tried not to panic as she instantly lost sight of the others, but managed to escape being pelted as she joined the flow of the crowd.   
  
All of a sudden, a hand grabbed her own, pulling her in a different direction.   
  
"What-"  
  
Yaz barely had time to protest before she realised who had grabbed her, and why. Of course it had been the Doctor who'd found her. And of course she had done it to protect Yaz, in this instance from a rather large, over-ripe grapefruit. For a split second, Yaz wondered if fruit that size was even fair game, before she remembered it had smashed straight into the other woman.   
  
"Doctor!" she shouted, over the cheers of the crowd.   
  
The other woman turned slowly on her heel and Yaz had to stop herself from laughing at the sight of grapefruit pulp dripping from her nose and chin.   
  
"Don't say a word," the Doctor grumbled, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand. "I hate grapefruit."  
  
"That's a shame. It suits you," Yaz said, unable to resist.   
  
The Doctor's eyes widened for a second at the joke before she started to laugh, a sound Yaz had rarely heard. It made her so very happy to know that she'd been the cause of it and she couldn't help but join in.   
  
Once she'd caught her breath, Yaz had an idea.   
  
"Wait a second," she said, before taking off her jacket and then her jumper, leaving her in a t-shirt. The Doctor watched her without comment but she was obviously confused, and started to glance around nervously as Yaz removed her layers. Luckily the crowd had moved on, with the more active participants searching out new victims to pelt with their crops.   
  
"Don't worry, I'm not going any further," Yaz said, scrunching up her jumper. "And hold still."  
  
She started to wipe the worst of the goop from the Doctor's face, being as gentle as she could. She paused when the Doctor closed her eyes to help things along, taking the opportunity to really observe the other woman up close. Yaz had been harbouring quite the crush on the Doctor for several weeks now, and she found herself absorbed in her task for longer than necessary. Finally, she stepped back, feeling a little guilty at capitalising on the Doctor's misfortune to openly gaze at her crush.   
  
"There," she said, feeling her face flush. "All better."  
  
The Doctor hesitantly opened her eyes, frowning as she tried to look at her nose, which made her go cross-eyed. Yaz wondered how she had fallen for such a goofball. Apparently satisfied that her face was now free from grapefruit, the Doctor broke out in a grin.   
  
"Thanks, Yaz. I owe you." Then, she did something completely unexpected: she stepped forward and kissed Yaz on the cheek.   
  
"I'm just going to see if I can find the boys and maybe we can find a safer point to watch from! Stay here, and I'll be back in a jiffy."  
  
With a swish of her coat tails, the Doctor disappeared into the crowd. She was gone so quickly that she didn't see Yaz freeze in place, a hand slowly coming up to her cheek. Yaz dazedly touched the skin the Doctor had kissed and felt the sticky aftermath of the brief contact. The crowd completely faded into the background.  
  
When Yaz brought her fingertips to her mouth, she knew that grapefruit would never taste the same again. 

* * *

II   
  
"What's that building up there?" Ryan pointed upwards and Yaz followed his finger to the tallest building she'd ever seen.   
  
"Wow, that is really something, isn't it?" Graham chipped in. "Much bigger than any of the skyscrapers back on earth."  
  
The Doctor pulled a face as she looked upwards, her hands on her hips. Yaz snuck a quick glance at her and felt herself melt a little at her blunt expression. Something that had drawn her to the Doctor was her lack of filter. It was refreshing.   
  
"I think that's a bank."  
  
"Aren't they always?" Graham muttered. "More money than sense."  
  
"You should see what they get up to in the 32nd century. It gets worse," the Doctor intoned.   
  
Graham shook his head. "I don't think I want to know."  
  
Yaz started to take a step towards the monstrosity, her gaze still fixed firmly upwards. The events that happened next occurred so fast that she didn't even realise what had nearly happened.   
  
First, an arm wrapped around her waist. Then, it spun her around, facing back towards Graham and Ryan, who were shouting something over a loud blaring horn that suddenly came to life right behind her.   
  
Graham's arm was still outstretched and Ryan was running towards her when Yaz realised a vehicle of some kind had whistled past them. The arm was still wrapped solidly around her waist, but now Yaz realised it was attached to a warm, solid body that was moulded to her back.   
  
A familiar voice suddenly filled her ears, from a much closer range than usual. It gave her goosebumps.   
  
"Careful, Yaz."  
  
Yaz looked down to see a familiar blue sleeve wrapped firmly around her waist, a confident hand splayed across her hip. Her heart rate shot up when she realised just how close they were. She could even smell the faint aroma of earl grey tea that clung to the Doctor's jacket.  
  
"Good save, Doc," Graham said, looking shaken.   
  
"Yeah, you were nearly as flat as a pancake, Yaz!" Ryan said, holding out a hand to pull the Doctor back from the edge of the pavement. She didn't let go of Yaz but as Yaz looked down, she saw that the Doctor was barely teetering on the edge of the curb.  
  
"Oh god. I'm sorry, Doctor."  
  
Yaz noticed that the Doctor didn't let go of her for a few moments, even once they were both back on the level. She seemed flustered. Which was understandable, given that they'd both nearly been run over.   
  
"Any time," the Doctor huffed, running a hand through her hair. Yaz noticed it was trembling slightly.   
  
In retrospect, Yaz realised that the easiest option in that particular scenario might have been to just shove her out of the way of traffic, but the Doctor had kept her safe by putting her own life at risk. The speed with which she thought and acted was superhuman, sometimes.   
  
"Let's cross the road together, okay fam?"   
  
The Doctor immediately reached out and held Yaz's hand, their palms slightly sweaty with adrenaline; but Yaz savoured the contact, as she always did. The Doctor always seemed to reach out for Yaz first, but this time, Yaz was sure she didn't imagine the Doctor squeezing tighter than she ever had before.   
  
The Doctor also didn't let go for a good half hour or so, long after they'd crossed the road. It was like she had almost forgotten she was holding Yaz's hand.  
  
"Oh! Sorry, Yaz. You probably want your hand back." The Doctor finally let go and they stood awkwardly.  
  
"Oh, yeah. Thanks," Yaz muttered, secretly gutted. She shoved her hand in her pocket, missing the warmth of the Doctor's hand, and watched as the other woman did the same. The Doctor gave her a gentle smile before rattling off some facts about the city as she guided them around. Yaz barely took it in, distracted by the memory of the Doctor's fingers intertwined with her own.  
  
That night, back at home, all Yaz would think about was the feel of the Doctor's body wrapped tightly around hers. She didn't get much sleep, wrapping her own arms around herself in a feeble imitation of something she so desperately ached to feel again.

* * *

III  
  
The next time the Doctor stepped in to help Yaz, she once again put herself in harm's way. Yaz had started to notice that the Doctor did this quite a lot and wondered if she was just that clumsy or if the Doctor was specifically keeping an eye out for her.   
  
This time, however, the situation she landed herself in was obviously troublesome. She liked to think the Doctor would have stepped in to help any of them; it just so happened that it was she who had somehow managed to offend the local magistrate. Graham shouted in alarm when the constabulary raised their swords en masse and pointed them directly at Yaz.   
  
"What did I say?" Yaz was confused, irritated, and slightly intimidated by the sight of so many pointy ends facing her.   
  
"Whoah, whoah," the Doctor's voice drifted through the circle, followed by the Doctor herself. "'Scuse me, passing through."  
  
When she reached Yaz, she took a moment.   
  
"Alright, Yaz? We'll get out of this."   
  
Without waiting for an answer, the Doctor turned and placed herself in between Yaz and the gleaming weaponry.   
  
Yaz barely heard her talk them out of the situation; she focused instead on the movement of the Doctor's shoulders under her jacket as she used her hands to emphasise their innocence. It was hypnotic, to the point that she didn't realise the swords had been lowered until the Doctor turned and grinned. Her smile always made Yaz smile in return, as if it was an in-built reflex, and they looked at each other for a moment without speaking.   
  
Graham cleared his throat.   
  
"Shall we? I don't know about you, but that was mildly terrifying. I wouldn't mind getting out of here."  
  
"Of course," the Doctor said, reluctantly tearing her eyes away. "Of course," she repeated, shaking her head. "Let's go."  
  
Ryan joined Yaz as they followed the others.   
  
"What was all that about?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Yaz was genuinely confused.   
  
"You and the Doctor. You just...looked at each other and didn't say anything."  
  
Yaz felt a flush rush through her, her blood warming at the memory.   
  
"I dunno," she said, not keen to discuss her crush with Ryan.   
  
"Mate. You like her, don't you?"  
  
Yaz sighed. It wasn't a good sign that Ryan had picked up on it.   
  
"Maybe. But before you say anything, nothing is going to come of it. So just leave it, yeah?"  
  
Ryan raised his hands.   
  
"Alright, alright," he muttered. "But you never know."  
  
They walked the remainder of the journey in companionable silence, but Ryan's words echoed in Yaz's mind on an endless loop.  _You never know_. 

* * *

IV  
  
"Shit!"  
  
"Language, Ryan," the Doctor scolded, hiding herself behind a corner.   
  
"They're all shooting at each other!"   
  
As if to prove his point, a bullet hit the ground by his feet and sent up a wave of dirt and sawdust.   
  
"Whose idea was it to come to the wild west, anyway?" Graham panted, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. He had hidden himself behind a piano with Yaz.  
  
Three heads turned to look at him simultaneously and spoke in unison.   
  
"Yours."  
  
"Ah, right you are. Sorry, Doc. Think we can sneak out of here?"  
  
The Doctor was already scanning the saloon, trying to find the nearest exit. But Yaz was already one step ahead of her and was starting to get to her feet to point out a potential route when the Doctor realised she would be in the line of fire. In a matter of seconds she had launched herself at Yaz, pushing her to the ground as a close-range gunshot echoed in their ears.   
  
Yaz found herself completely enveloped in the Doctor's body. She wasn't going to complain but she would have much preferred this to happen outside of a gunslinger standoff.   
  
That, and the Doctor didn't move for several moments. She felt surprisingly heavy. Yaz imagined she was just catching her breath - she herself was winded - when she started to feel a warm sensation spreading across her stomach.   
  
Thankfully, the relatively brief burst of gunfire had died down, leaving behind a chorus of groans from the sawdust floor.   
  
The Doctor joined in, finally rolling herself off Yaz.  
  
"Oh shit," Ryan swore.  
  
"What did I say about language?" the Doctor grumbled, a shaking hand covering a bullet wound in her side.   
  
"Oh my god," Yaz gasped. She quickly pulled off her bloodied jumper, remembering how she'd done the same to wipe grapefruit from the Doctor's face. This time, it was to stop her bleeding to death.   
  
"Sorry," she muttered, before pressing hard on the wound with the fabric.   
  
"Argh." The Doctor screwed up her face in pain. "Not your fault, Yaz."  
  
"But it is. Don't you see? You just got shot so that I wouldn't."  
  
"Swings and roundabouts, Yaz."  
  
"That's not really what that saying applies to, Doctor."  
  
"Oh. Never quite got the hang of that one." The Doctor's expression was pained as she pushed herself up.   
  
"Are you sure that's wise, Doc?" Graham hovered nearby, ready to help her up.  
  
"Yeah," she ground out, her face pale. "Don't fancy my chances with the local physician."  
  
Ryan glanced around and saw who must have been the resident doctor distribute swigs of bourbon to the wounded.   
  
"You might have a point there," he agreed.   
  
"Honestly, a nap in the TARDIS and I'll be fine," the Doctor said, trying to catch Yaz's eye. Yaz was distraught that she had been responsible for this situation.   
  
"Come on, Yaz. Give us a hand up." Yaz abandoned her jumper - she wasn't ever going to wear it again, after all - and helped the Doctor to her feet, sliding under her arm and draping it across her shoulders.   
  
"Just take it slowly," she said, worried half to death.  
  
They did take it slowly, Yaz keeping a careful grip as Ryan and Graham led the way back.   
  
As soon as they entered the TARDIS, the Doctor tried to brush off any assistance, pulling away from Yaz.  
  
"No way," Yaz protested. They stared at each other for a beat until the Doctor caved, wobbling on her feet.   
  
"Okay, okay, you win."   
  
Yaz knew an opportunity when she saw it, so she sent a very willing Ryan and Graham to the kitchen to make tea before resuming her hold on the Doctor and asking her for directions to somewhere with medical supplies.   
  
The TARDIS obliged, lighting the way. When they made it to what Yaz assumed was the medical bay - they had, thankfully, never needed it thus far - she deposited the Doctor onto the nearest horizontal surface after sweeping the clutter from it onto the floor.  
  
"Hey!" The Doctor protested half-heartedly.   
  
"You're more important," Yaz muttered as she started rummaging in drawers, leaving bloody fingerprints everywhere. The sight of them turned her stomach.   
  
Bandages procured, she returned to the Doctor and helped untuck her shirts from her trousers. She tried to ignore the fact she was undressing the Doctor, focusing on fixing the mess she thought she'd caused.   
  
"I know what you're thinking," the Doctor murmured as Yaz inspected the wound, checking the bullet had gone through. Thankfully it had because she didn't fancy her chances at removing it.   
  
"What's that then?" Yaz asked, keeping her tone light. The Doctor really hadn't been joking when she'd told them she had superior healing capabilities - the wounds were now bleeding only sluggishly. Yaz was just glad the Doctor was still talking and encouraged the conversation without a second thought.  
  
As Yaz cleaned the injuries with what she hoped was antiseptic, the Doctor hissed.  
  
"Sorry," Yaz apologised again. They looked at each other for a moment, Yaz anxiously taking in the Doctor's pinched expression. She was as white as a sheet.   
  
"This isn't your fault," the Doctor finally resumed, panting in pain.   
  
"I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that one," Yaz murmured, her mouth set in a line. "Do you have some painkillers?"  
  
The Doctor pointed to a drawer and Yaz opened it to find a plethora of syringes. She rifled through them, hurrying to end the Doctor's pain.   
  
"That'll do," the injured woman waved her hand, and Yaz muttered a brief apology before administering one of the doses.   
  
She watched as the Doctor's pained expression finally eased and she let out a long breath.   
  
"Oh. That's much better." Her eyes started to blink slowly and Yaz realised she didn't have long before she passed out.   
  
"Don't fall asleep on me just yet. Keep talking," she requested as she placed gauze over the exit wound.   
  
"I hate guns," the Doctor grumbled. Yaz had to agree.   
  
"I'm not a big fan of them myself. This one did a number on you."  
  
As Yaz applied gauze to the other side, she felt the weight of the Doctor's gaze. She was running on adrenaline, and blamed that for the butterflies that came to life in her stomach. Her task completed, she gently urged the Doctor to lie back.   
  
"Thank you, Yaz."  
  
"It's the least I could do. That really was my fault." Yaz stared at her bloodstained hands, feeling too guilty to make eye contact.   
  
"Look at me, Yaz."  
  
Yaz reluctantly lifted her gaze.   
  
"Accidents happen."  
  
"Getting shot isn't really an accident, Doctor," Yaz sighed.   
  
"I couldn't let you get hurt, Yaz," the Doctor said, bluntly. "I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I did."  
  
With that, the Doctor's eyes slid shut, signalling the end of that particular conversation.

What she had said left Yaz at a loss. So she did the only thing she knew she could do; she pulled up a chair and held onto her hand. There was no way she was leaving. 

When Ryan and Graham found them much, much later - the TARDIS had proved rather unhelpful in providing directions - Yaz had fallen asleep, one hand still holding the Doctor's and her head resting by her hip. One of the Doctor's hands had come to rest on Yaz's head, and she was mumbling Yaz's name in her sleep. 

"Do you think they know?" Ryan asked.  

"That they're in love?" Graham mused. "No. But they'll get there."

* * *

V  
  
Finally, Yaz found herself in a position to return the favour. Not that she wanted to find herself in such a position ever again, but when the situation arose, she knew precisely what she would need to do to make things right.   
  
The Doctor had disappeared while they were investigating a string of suspicious disappearances in an alien colony. Yaz had put her police training to good use, enlisting the help of Graham and Ryan to figure out where the Doctor had gone. After canvassing local residents, it transpired that the Doctor had been arrested by the police, on suspicion of absolutely nothing whatsoever; the police were bent by anyone's standards and there were murmurs of torture. The idea of corrupt police made Yaz's blood boil anyway, and to add insult to injury, they had taken the Doctor. It was safe to say that she was fuming.   
  
After finding out where the Doctor was being held, Yaz hatched a plan. They would wait until nightfall, sneak in, and free the Doctor. If they came across any guards they would subdue them as best they could, but Yaz didn't want to think too closely about that. She knew the Doctor wouldn't approve.   
  
They were lucky on the way in, apparently managing to time their infiltration with the changing of the guard. Finding the Doctor was a bit harder so in the interests of time, the three companions split up. It went against Yaz's gut instinct but their priority was to find the Doctor, and the others agreed.   
  
When Yaz did eventually find the Doctor, slumped unconscious against a wall, she found her at the same time as a patrolling guard.   
  
"What are you doing in here?" he shouted, alarmed. Yaz did what came naturally - she moved in front of the Doctor, protecting her.   
  
"What have you done?" she replied, anger bubbling to life in her stomach.   
  
The guard didn't bother replying, instead striding over to Yaz, who stood her ground and held up her fists. She knew it might come to this, and she was glad he wasn't armed. Yaz had received a small amount of combat training so she had an idea of how to handle the situation, but it didn't prepare her for people who fought dirty. Literally dirty - the guard kicked up a wave of the stuff as he approached, distracting her just enough to land a surprise punch, and Yaz tasted blood. She stubbornly refused to fall, knowing that if she did the Doctor would be too vulnerable. She stood her ground, returning the hit once she had come to her senses; and then Ryan was there, and the odds improved drastically.   
  
The noise of the scuffle brought the Doctor around.  
  
"Yaz?" She sounded confused and when Graham rejoined them to help, Yaz took the opportunity to check she was alright.   
  
"Doctor," she breathed, her hand instinctively coming to rest on her cheek.   
  
"You're hurt." The Doctor instantly noticed Yaz's bloodied lip, and she frowned. "I don't like you being hurt."  
  
Both of them looked back as the guard was finally subdued.   
  
"We'll just..." Graham jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on, son."  
  
They left Yaz and the Doctor alone to get their bearings. When Yaz looked back the Doctor had retrieved a handkerchief from her coat pocket - the kind she used to wipe off excess engine oil when she was fixing the TARDIS. But this one was clean.   
  
Yaz reached out to take it but the Doctor shook her head.   
  
"Let me."  
  
Yaz tried not to flinch at the gentle pressure on her lip, focusing instead on the Doctor's concerned expression.   
  
"I wish you hadn't done that, Yaz," the Doctor said, wincing in sympathy as she dabbed at the blood.   
  
"I had to. I'd do anything for you, Doctor," Yaz admitted. "I thought you were dead for one horrible second. I didn't even think."  
  
"I'm fine. I'll always be fine, and I always have been," the Doctor insisted. "But I can't bear you putting yourself in harm's way for me, Yaz." There was an edge to her tone that Yaz had never heard before, but she ploughed ahead undeterred.  
  
"I'm a trained police officer. One measly punch isn't going to do much. And besides, you've protected me so many times that it was about time I returned the favour."  
  
The Doctor didn't reply, but her eyes caught sight of Yaz's bruised knuckles and she gasped.   
  
"Your poor hand," she muttered, bringing the damaged skin up for inspection. Yaz thought her heart would stop when the Doctor brought her hand up to her mouth, leaving a kiss on the tender skin.   
  
She didn't realise she'd made a noise until the Doctor's eyes locked onto hers.   
  
"Yaz?"  
  
Yaz swallowed hard. "Er..."  
  
"Did you want me to kiss that better, too?"  
  
Yaz nodded.  
  
Although the gentle kiss the Doctor left by her split lip was brief, it certainly crossed a line they had both been dancing near for weeks, now. Yaz let her eyes flutter close as she felt the Doctor's face linger near hers.   
  
"You have no idea how much I've wanted you to do that," she murmured, and she opened her eyes as she heard the Doctor laugh.   
  
Several feet away, Ryan handed Graham a tenner.   
  
"Think we should head back yet?" Ryan groused, wishing he hadn't put his money on Yaz being the one to make the first move.   
  
"Let's give them a little longer. They have a lot to make up for, I reckon." With that, Graham resolutely turned his back to keep a lookout.   
  
"I always knew the Doc had it in her."


End file.
